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Study: annual climate impact of wild pigs could be greater than 1.1M cars

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Feral swine are descendants of escaped or released pigs. The researchers used predictive population models coupled with advanced mapping techniques to estimate the climate damage wild pigs are causing across five continents. Feral swine are the same species, Sus scrofa , as pigs that are found on farms.

Climate 435
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Study findings suggest that switching from coal to natural gas would do little for global climate

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The study will appear next month in the peer-reviewed journal Climatic Change Letters. Relying more on natural gas would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, but it would do little to help solve the climate problem. The study underscores the complex and sometimes conflicting ways in which fossil fuel burning affects Earth’s climate.

Coal 334
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New Ford Escape to offer two EcoBoost engines: 1.6L and 2.0L

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The new Ford Escape will offer two different EcoBoost engines: a 2.0-liter liter is projected to produce segment-leading fuel economy among compact SUVs and up to 5 mpg better than the outgoing Escape. The base engine for the all-new Ford Escape is an updated version of the 2.5-liter liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

Escape 230
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Ford uses kenaf plant inside doors in the new Escape, saving weight and energy

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The plant replaces oil-based materials inside the doors of the all-new Ford Escape. The kenaf is combined with polypropylene in a 50-50 mixture inside the door of the Escape. The new Escape, which will be available to customers this spring, features several eco-friendly components in addition to the kenaf inside the doors.

Escape 199
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ARPA-E selects SwRI to create more effective burner to reduce methane emissions

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Burners currently used on the field commonly perform below target specifications, especially under crosswind conditions, which results in a significant portion of this powerful greenhouse gas escaping into the atmosphere. The three-year, $2.9-million SwRI Research Engineer Luis Gutierrez is working with Prof.

Emissions 434
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UC Davis Begins $2.8M Studies on Impacts of Escaped Nitrogen

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million in new grants to study the use and impacts of escaped nitrogen from agricultural production. University of California, Davis researchers will receive $2.8 Nitrogen-based fertilizers help California farmers produce more than 400 agricultural commodities—vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy products—worth $36 billion a year.

Davis 240
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MIT Researchers Elucidate Model for Escape of Underground Methane in Frozen Regions; Current Rate of Escape May be Much Faster Than Earlier Believed

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gas hydrate accumulations in ocean sediments and permafrost—escapes. Their findings, published online 29 August in the AGU Journal of Geophysical Research , also suggest that methane trapped under the ocean may already be escaping through vents in the sea floor at a much faster rate than previously believed. Ruben Juanes.

Escape 186